Iran Warns The United States Will Be Affected If War In Gaza Continues

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian. (Twitter/@IRIMFA_EN)

JAKARTA - Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian warned on Thursday that if Israel's retaliation against Palestinian militants Hamas in Gaza does not end, then the United States could be affected.

"I can be honest with American statesmen, who are now dealing with genocide in Palestine, we do not welcome the expansion of the war in the region. But if the genocide in Gaza continues, they will not escape this attack", he said at an emergency meeting of the UN General Assembly on the Gaza crisis.

He further said Hamas had told Iran was ready to release civilian hostages, with the world pushing for the release of 6,000 Palestinians in Israeli prisons.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to play its part in this very important humanitarian effort, along with Qatar and Turkey. Of course, the release of 6,000 Palestinian prisoners is a need and responsibility of the global community," he said.

Israel is known to have pledged to destroy Hamas, which controls Gaza, in retaliation for the October 7 attack that killed 1,400 people and caused hundreds of people to be held hostage. Israel has attacked Gaza from the air, staged sieges and prepared for a ground invasion.

As of Thursday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed that the death toll of Palestinians as a result of Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip reached 7,028, citing the Daily Sabah.

Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qedra said the death toll, including about 2,913 children, 1,709 women and 397 elderly people. While the injured reached 18,484 people.

It is known that the death toll this time was recorded as the highest in Gaza, since Israel withdrew from the region in 2005.

"Israeli population deliberately carried out 731 massacres against families. We received 1,650 reports of missing persons, including 940 children who are still buried in the rubble," said al-Qedra.

He added that Israeli forces deliberately targeted 57 health care facilities, causing 12 hospitals and 32 primary care centers to malfunction, and 101 medics were killed in the attack.